WheN and where are our distributions?

Our pickup is every Tuesday, from June 10 to November 18, 3:30 to 7:30 pm, at 35-11 35th Avenue (between 35 & 36th Streets). Our distributions take place under the giant portico of the original Kaufman Astoria film studio where the Marx Brothers made their first two movies and where Sesame Street, Sex in the City, and Orange Is the New Black were filmed.

This is the perfect home for us! We’re outside but under a soaring two-story roof that protects our fruit and vegetable shares from the sun and the rain. We are grateful to Kaufman Astoria Studios for allowing us to use this historic space. And we owe a special debt of gratitude to Domenico and Anthony Sacramone and their restaurant, Sac’s Place, for sharing their outdoor patio space with us.

OUr humble beginnings

In 2017 four longtime members of Astoria CSA decided to start Dutch Kills CSA. We had just 19 members our first year. We grew to 67 members in our second year, 90 members in our third year, and 125 members in our fourth year—2020—the first year of the pandemic. For the past four years we’ve had about 150 members, which is the perfect size for us.

From the beginning it has been our goal to make CSA shares affordable to everyone in our community. In 2019 we became a nonprofit organization and started to raise the money to achieve our goals. We launched our Equity Shares Program in the spring of 2020, just as COVID-19 was taking a terrible toll on New York and the city went into lockdown.

Achieving our Goals

Over the past five years, the members of Dutch Kills CSA have contributed more than $12,000 to our equity fund. We’ve raised another $12,000 through bake sales, membership fees, and markups on our shares.

Your contributions have enabled us to subsidize more than 80 vegetable shares at a cost of $23,000. During the pandemic we partnered with other nonprofits to purchase another $11,000 in vegetable shares for those in need in our community. We’ve also donated $12,000 in fruit and vegetable shares to Astoria Food Pantry. That means that every year for the past five years, Dutch Kills CSA has contributed almost $10,000 worth of fresh vegetables to neighbors who need our help in Astoria and Long Island City! That’s a huge accomplishment! Thank you for your generosity!

Dutch Kills CSA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and all of your donations to our Equity Shares Program are tax deductible. Please consider donating this year if you can.

Core Members
Michele Basco – Coordinator of Half Shares
Rainey Carr – Set Up Coordinator
Marco Cipolletti – IT Coordinator
Jessi Cohen – Site Coordinator
Tracey DeBenedictis – Communications Coordinator
Pat Didner – Site Coordinator
Danielle Gill – Equity Coordinator
Benham Jones – Coordinator of Donated Shares
Cheryl LoMaglio – Site Coordinator and Outreach Coordinator
Mark McClure – Set Up and Site Coordinator
Julia Mucci – Head Site Coordinator and Volunteer Coordinator
Tonice Sgrignoli – Core Coordinator, Treasurer, Farm Liaison
We need your talent! Would you like to help with Outreach? Or Programming? Or be a Co-Treasurer? Please consider joining our core team! Email info@dutchkillscsa.com.